1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to electrical systems and, more particularly, to electrical systems for bicycles in which a single electrical source is used to provide electrical power to lights secured to the front and rear wheels through a rotating disc and a fixed brush.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,848, the inventor/patentee of which is the same as the inventor hereof, describes an electrical lighting system for bicycles in which a central electrical power source is connected to discs secured to the front and rear wheels of a bicycle. The discs are secured to the bicycle spokes concentric with the center of rotation or axle of each wheel. Electrical contact with the discs is made through a brush arrangement for electrical input and through wires extending outwardly from the discs to lights secured adjacent to the outer periphery or rim of the wheels.
The discs in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,848 comprise a dielectric substrate, such as resin impregnated fiberglass, on which a conductive layer, such as copper or the like, is secured. A brush system is used to make electrical contact with the discs as the discs rotate with the wheel. The brushes are secured to the axles and accordingly remain fixed while the wheels, and thus the discs, rotate. Electrical wires are connected to the conductive portion of the discs by soldering the ends of the wires to the disc. The wires then extend outwardly to light assemblies secured to the wheel spokes adjacent to the rim.
The brush assemblies include a housing having a bore in which a brush is disposed. The brush is biased against the disc by a conductive compression spring. An electrical conductor is in turn secured to the conductive spring to complete the circuit from the input conductor, through the spring, the brush, and to the conductive layer of the disc.
The securing of the electrical output wire from the conductive portion of the disc provides a potential problem in that if the wire comes loose, the inconvenience of having to make a soldered connection is required.
Another problem with the apparatus of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,848 is the brush assembly. The general type of brush employed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,848 is generally conventional and is accordingly relatively well known in general principle. The provision of a brush housing, a conductive brush element, a conductive spring biasing the brush outwardly from the housing, and an electrical wire connected to the conductive spring, are elements that are generally well known and understood. However, the employment of such elements in the environment of a bicycle wheel results in potential problems that otherwise are not generally encountered in the typical protected environment of motors, etc. Again, the possibility of the electrical wire breaking contact with the conductive brush necessitates the inconvenience of a soldered connection, or the like.
Another problem with the prior art conventional brush assembly is the environment in which the brush assembly is used. Typically, brush assemblies of the general type disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,848 are found in relatively sheltered environments. However, a bicycle wheel is anything but a sheltered environment. The rotating wheel of a bicycle, and thus the brush assembly secured thereto, is constantly in contact with the outdoor elements of dirt and brushes; the wheel is typically subject to rain or water from puddles, etc. Thus, the likelihood of the brush assembly being involved in a relatively poor environment for purposes of good electrical contact is simply not present. A brush assembly could be rendered inoperative by dust, dirt, and debris getting into the housing and preventing the outward movement of the brush, or causing the spring to become frozen or locked within the housing, and accordingly not providing an outward bias against the brush. Other, related problems could also occur.
The "Description of the Prior Art" portion of the '848 patent discusses several other patents which disclose lighting systems for bicycles in which one or more lights is secured to the spokes of a bicycle wheel. The patents include U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,409 (Freeman), French Pat. No. 978,808, Belgian Pat. No. 500,337, and Italian Pat. No. 484,246.
The apparatus of the present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art and provides a disc and brush apparatus which are easily electrically installed, connected, and replaced, and which inherently avoid some of the problems of the prior art.